A
personal meditation practice is the foundation of Buddhism, but do we
need more? Essentially we make the journey alone, but many people find
that committing themselves to the three jewels—Buddha, dharma, and
sangha—helps take them further. These three make up the lineage,
philosophy, and community of Buddhism, and their purpose is to deepen
and expand our practice.

When we embark on the meditative journey, we may enter through many
different gateways. We may begin to practice meditation as a way of
finding a little more calm in the midst of a chaotic life, to find
respite from our turbulent mind. We may begin to meditate to find a way
to meet adversities with greater understanding and balance. We may be
drawn to meditation through experiences of joy—glimpses of stillness,
intimacy, and connectedness—that inspire us to question whether such
moments could be more than just accidental encounters. Both sorrow and
joy can bring us to a point where we acknowledge the urgency of finding
ways to be more at peace with ourselves, to be kinder, and to be more
present in all the moments of our life.

Practicing with sincerity, persevering through the peaks and valleys
that are part of every spiritual path, we begin to discover that
practice does indeed bear fruit. A steady mind begins to be more
accessible, we are less prone to be reactive or judgmental, and greater
sensitivity and mindfulness allow us to feel more connected to the
present moment and to our surroundings. Our capacity to be delighted by
life’s beauty is awakened, as is our ability to meet hardship without
being overwhelmed.But this is not the end of the journey. Rather, the journey has now truly begun.

As our practice deepens, our eyes open to possibilities beyond
composure and balance. We open up to the possibility of an unshakeable
liberation, a timeless wisdom, and being intimately part of a wider
community of people who treasure compassion and integrity. We may be
inspired to bind ourselves more deeply to the path and to those around
us.

At this point, we may begin to ask ourselves not only what meditation
practice is but what it means to live a meditative life. To help us
accomplish this, we look beyond our personal practice and seek the
support of what are known in Buddhism as the three jewels. These are
the Buddha, or other living embodiment of enlightenment; the dharma, the
philosophy and teachings of Buddhism; and the sangha, the community of
realized beings and of our fellow practitioners. As so many others have
before us, we may decide to take refuge in the three jewels as a way of
continuing to open to the deeper possibilities we have glimpsed. This is
an important step on the journey and one we will repeat many times
over. So what does it mean to take refuge and what do the three jewels
really mean?

Taking Refuge

I take refuge in the Buddha
I take refuge in the dharma
I take refuge in the sangha

In monasteries around the world these three lines are chanted daily,
and many meditation retreats here in the West begin with a recitation of
this formula. We might see these as quasi-religious sentiments or
statements of belief that seem irrelevant to our own life and spiritual
practice. But the great power of taking refuge is that it opens our eyes
to the whole of the teaching, not just the parts we find convenient.
Taking refuge can also help us find the capacity to meet hardship
compassionately—and with steadiness—rather than with flight and denial.
But before that can happen, we need to come to understand what we commit
to when we make these statements. Taking refuge in the three jewels
(also known as the triple gem or the three treasures) is a commitment
born of reflection and investigation.

“Taking refuge,” a good translation of the original Pali, literally
refers to the act of returning to a place of sanctuary or shelter to
find safety, peace, and protection: a child finds refuge in the arms of a
loving parent; we find shelter from a storm beneath the branches of a
tree; we return home to a caring relationship for sanctuary and peace.

Taking refuge in the three jewels is an inner journey, coming home to
what is true. It is a profound act of devotion and inner commitment to a
clear mind, an open heart, and a way of engaging with life that is
pervaded with integrity, respect, and compassion. If our commitment is
profound, we give ourselves unreservedly to a life of wakefulness, to
bringing all that is truthful and healing into every aspect of our life.
If our devotion is wholehearted, we align our thoughts, words, and acts
with the teachings that lead to liberation.

“Our
challenge here on Earth is to transform suffering into joy. Regardless
of what stage we are at in our journey, we move from the focus on ‘me’
towards focusing on ‘us’: we move from the personal sphere to the
transpersonal sphere. This process begins when we learn how to deal with
aspects related to our personal story, integrating the parts of
ourselves that remained buried and forgotten. During this integration,
we become more in harmony with our families and our personal histories.
As we evolve in this process of self transformation and healing, our
intuition continues to grow, and we graduate from working in our
personal sphere to working within the collective sphere."

Retaining
critical intelligence is essential. If others dislike hearing the
results of critical intelligence and become angry themselves, that is
their issue. We should not suppress our own insight, expressed
rationally and without rancor, because others become upset and don’t
want to hear unpleasant information.